Gathering mechanism



April 27, 1926. 1,582,747

J. s. BURCH GATHERING MECHANISM Filed June 16, 1924 INVENTOR. I

A Patented Apr. 27,1926.

Gathering Mechanisms, of which the followvide a UNITED STATES JOSEPH s'rmnr BURCH, or rmxnm, rnnitsnvnma, ass rcnon r0 JOY T T OFFICE.

COMPANY, OF PITTSBURGH, PENNSYLVANIA.

earnnnme mncmrsm.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, J osnrn S'rAminr BURCH, a citizen of the United States, residing at Franklin, in the county of Venango and State of Pennsylvania, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in ing is a specification.

This invention relates to certain new and useful improvements in gathering mechanisms for coal loading machines, and more particularly for that class of loading ma chines adapted to transfer coal from the,

mine floor to conveniently placed ears for transportation from the mine.

Specifically, the present invention contemplates improvement of the type of gathering mechanism shown, described and claimed in U. S. Letters Patents to Joseph F. Joy, .Nos. 1,306,064, dated June 10th,

1919, and-1,445,088 dated Feb. 13th, 1923.

Referring to'Fig'. 2 of said Letters Patent No. 1,306,064 it will be noted that the guide bar 95, at a certain ,portion of its movement, encroaches slightly upon the path of the conveyor; At the'instant of such encroachment said arm may strike a large chunk of coal and not only shatter the coal but cause an unnecessarystrain. upon the gathering mechanism; hence it is the object of this invention to eliminate said guide bar andv at the same time provide in place thereof an equally eflicient construction which will not, at any interval of a cycle of its operation encroach upon the conveyer area. Another object is to promater'ia -actuating end of which will dea scribe an orbit or. ath which is, in gen-' eral, triangular in s a e and in which the substantially straight ase of said trian 1e is the portion of the path whereat the gat companying drawin s in which:

Fig. 1 is a top p an view, partly broken away, showing the forward end of an in-- clined loading. conveyor provided with a.

gathering mechanism constructed in accordance with the present invention, and p Fi 2 is a longitudinal section taken substantially on line 2-2of Fig. 1.

Referring more in detail to the drawing,

athering mechanism, the forward,

the'loading machine in connection with which. the resent: "athering mechanism is gathering head or t e lower forward used, broa y inclu es a apron A carried by end of a loading conveyor B of the usual and well known chainand-scraper type whose foot shaft 5 is driven in the usual; manner 1) the en agement of the sprocket chains '0 the en less conveyor member,

now shown, .with the sprocket wheels 6-- carried by said shaft -5-.

In accordance with the present. invention, the hollow head A.- is extended for some distance rearwardly at the sides of the conve or B-, and upon the rear ends of these si e head extensions are disks --7 that are secured upon the upper, ends of upright shafts 8-' which are suitably jour naled in the head extensions and upwardly'through the top plate of t e ter. Secured upon the ower portions of the shafts .-8-- are spur gears 9 which are disposed within the head extensions and mesh with further spur gears -10-- suitably journaled in the head extensions forwardly of the gears -+9. Combined spur and bevel gears 11 are journalled in the gathering head forwardly of the gears :10., and the spur teeth of these gears ---11 mesh with the ears 10, while the bevel teeth thereo mesh with bevel pinions -12 secured upon the opposite ends of the shaft 5. Thus, when the continuous rotation is imparted.- to shaft 5, the'disks 7 are caused to continuously rotate in the direction of the arrows -a-. p

Each disk 7- is provided with an upwardly extending pivot pin 13 to which is pivoted the rear end of the inner or rear member 14 of a gathering arm. Pivoted on the head. extensions for horizontal oscillation are links -15- whose inner ends are pivoted to the members 14 of the gathering arms intermediate their ends The members --14 are provided at their movement of the gathering arms. The

paths described by the tips of the gathering arm fingers are substantially reniform and as shown by dash lines as at 18. However, the outer wider portions 18- of these paths are substantially straight so that the initial movement of each arm is forward longitudinally in a substantially straight direction for eifectively penetrating and loosening the material. The general action and operation obtained is otherwise substantially the same as that set forth in the above patents, but the use of a curved guide bar and a swivelled guide is dispensed with.

Minor changes may be made without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention as claimed.

What I claim as new is:

In a loading machine which comprises among its elements a conveyor organization and a supporting structure for said organization having an apron at the forward,

receiving end thereof over which the material passes upon its entry to said conveyor; the combination with the foregoing of a gathering mechanism comprising a disc revolubly carried by said apron with its upper face disposed parallel with and adjacent the upper face of said apron, an upwardly-projecting, eccentrically-positioned pin carried by said disc, a gathering arm engaging said pin atthe rearward end and having its forward end free and adapted to engage and to sweep material over said apron and upon said conveyor, a link having one of its ends pivotally attached to said arm intermediate its ends and its other end pivotally connected to said apron, and means whereby revoluble motion is transmitted from said conveyor to said disc to actuate said arm.

In testimony whereof I aflix my signature.

JOSEPH STANLEY BURCH. 

